HSC (mistakes i keep making)

Weeks 1-10

What does experimental study design help with medically?

helps with diagnosis, screening, prevention and therapeutics.

Type I error

believing an effect exists when it doesn’t

Type II error

failing to detect effect when it actually does exist

Types of quantitative experimental study designs

Randomised control trial, field trials, community trials

Types of quantitative observational studies

• Descriptive: ecological, case study

• Analytical: cross-sectional, cohort study, case-control study

Ecological

measures relationship between the exposures and outcomes in a population

• Fast, cheap and easy

• Able to generate a hypothesis

• Has confounding factors

• Ecological fallacy - applying the population data to every individual (misrepresentation)

Case study

detailed report on one individual and can be series of them

• provides deep understanding

• real world context

• selection bias

• confounding factors

Cross-sectional study

measures relationship between exposure and outcomes of individuals

• prevalence found

• provides hypothesis and understanding

• Results may differ when comparing to each other

• associations are to be interpreted carefully due to differences

Cohort study

a study that tracks exposed groups to see any correlations

• good for investigating rare exposures

• good for observing sequential events

• expensive and time consuming